Which curing light do I need for tooth gems?

For professional tooth gem placement, you need a suitable curing light for tooth gems. Use a professional dental curing light that is compatible with the bonding material you are working with.

Proper curing is essential for retention. Even if the tooth has been cleaned, etched and kept completely dry, and Primer and Glue have been applied correctly, insufficient curing can cause the tooth gem to come loose sooner.

Why do you need a dedicated curing light?

The difference is not only the colour or wavelength of the light, but also how the light is delivered to the bonding material.

With a professional dental curing light, the light is concentrated through the light guide onto a relatively small treatment area. This delivers a high amount of light exactly where the bonding material needs to be cured.

That is very different from lamps designed to illuminate a much larger area.

What should a good curing light provide?

Important factors include:

• a wavelength suitable for the bonding material;
• sufficient light intensity;
• a concentrated light beam;
• the correct curing time;
• the correct distance from the bonding material;
• the correct angle of the light;
• a sufficiently charged battery;
• a clean light guide without cured bonding residue.

Always follow the curing instructions for the bonding system you are using.

Can I use a nail lamp for tooth gems?

We do not recommend using a UV or LED nail lamp for tooth gems.

A nail lamp is designed to illuminate a relatively large area and cure gel or other nail products across several nails at the same time. The light is therefore spread over a wider area.

A dental curing light works differently. The light is concentrated through the light guide onto a small area, exactly where the dental bonding material needs to cure.

So even if a nail lamp emits blue or UV light, this does not mean that the tooth gem bonding material receives the same effective light intensity.

A nail lamp may also have a different wavelength range and curing performance from what the dental bonding material was designed for.

Can I use my teeth whitening lamp for tooth gems?

A teeth whitening lamp is also not a substitute for a dental curing light.

A whitening lamp is designed to illuminate a large part of the mouth at once, so the light is distributed across several teeth.

For tooth gem bonding, you need the opposite: concentrated light on a small bonding area.

A whitening lamp may look powerful and produce a large amount of light, but this does not mean that the tooth gem bonding area receives the same effective intensity as it would from a dental curing light.

In simple terms:

• Nail lamp: light spread across several nails.
• Teeth whitening lamp: light spread across a large part of the teeth.
• Dental curing light: concentrated light delivered through a light guide directly onto the bonding material.

Keep the curing light close to the bonding area

Distance and position also matter.

The further the light source is from the bonding material, the less effective light may reach the treatment area. Hold the light guide as close and as straight as possible to the tooth gem according to the protocol, without moving the jewelry.

Make sure the bonding material around the tooth gem can be reached properly by the light.

Extra important with gold tooth gems

With gold tooth gems and other opaque dental jewelry, light cannot pass through the jewelry itself.

The bonding material therefore needs to be cured properly from the accessible sides. Position the curing light carefully and make sure the bonding around the jewelry receives sufficient light according to the protocol.

Check your curing light regularly

Even a professional curing light can become less effective over time. Regularly check:

• whether the battery is sufficiently charged;
• whether the light is functioning correctly;
• whether the light guide is clean;
• whether cured bonding residue is blocking the tip;
• whether the light guide is damaged.

Cured bonding material on the end of the light guide can block part of the light and reduce the effective light output.

When using the BlinQ* bonding system, combine Blue Etch, Primer and Glue according to the BlinQ protocol with a suitable professional dental curing light*.